Social Security Administration

I would have given 5 stars for the service but the parking is a bit challenging, so I had to ding them for that. I arrived around 8:30 and was lucky to find a metered parking space on West Peachtree. The security line was short and relatively quick but I imagine later in the day, it would be slow. There was only 1 person in front of me and it took 2 to 3 minutes. The SS office does not open until 9, but I would advise getting there between 8:30 and 8:45 as the waiting room was about ½ full by 9. I was called to the window within by 9:10 and out by 9:25 or so. I just needed a correction made to the name on my SS card. The agent was very helpful and even provided me with a tip or two about Medicare. So, the good people at Social Security office on West Peachtree counter the argument that all government workers are lazy and inefficient.

Take the elevator to the right to get to the 28^th floor.
Parking lot is across the street. $ 4 for one hour but don’t let the small parking lot fool you into thinking there are not a lot of people inside. There were about 18 people waiting in the Social Security office. The security guards will direct you to the corner machine to enter your information and get a wait ticket number. Everybody there is in for a different reason so you may get in before the others ahead of you. The wait wasn’t as long as I feared, considering how many people were waiting.
Per staff, cannot make reservations.

I’m a newlywed and it’s time to make this name change official! First step is to visit the Social Security Administration to change my name on my social security card.
I paid for a service that takes care of most of the research and headaches out of the name change process. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a way to make an appointment so I just showed up on a Friday around 11am.
First, there is no official parking for this building. I would recommend the (gated, secured) garage on West Peachtree near Mellow Mushroom. The other parking areas nearby looked a little sketchy to me.
When I approached the building the officer outside the main door directed me to the loading dock (??) and after 5 minutes of confusion and asking for exact directions I discovered they were actually trying to help me out by getting me in the building quicker. I later read the other reviews about the security line for the building. I got inside in about 10 minutes but when I left the line was about 30 people deep outside the building.
Upstairs to the SSA office, and I enter a room full of silent people staring forward. It was actually pretty eery. I found some security officers that pointed me to a sign that said «CHECK IN HERE» that i clearly missed. You select what you need to do — be careful, the options don’t all make sense — and it will print you a ticket. Then you sit, silently, because they call your combination of letters and numbers over an intercom that’s not super loud.
I waited about 30 minutes before my number was called. There’s a TV showing «now serving» numbers but it only showed some, not all of the numbers that were called, so don’t rely on it. Once I got to my booth, I handed over all my info, and I was done in a matter of 5 minutes. He said my name would be changed with social security in 24 hours and I would receive my card within the next 2 weeks — I received it exactly 1 week later.
It was a pretty simple process but the getting into the building and waiting for my turn parts were kind of organized chaos. It wasn’t the best nor the worst experience I’ve had in a government office.

The situation: Got married and needed to change my name at the Social Security Administration office.
The place: Social Security Administration in the Federal building located in downtown Atlanta (corner of Ivan Allen and West Peachtree).
I arrived at the Federal building around 11:45 am on Friday. I was confused at first because there was a line of about 60+ people waiting to get INSIDE the building. I thought that they might be there for some other reason, but oh no, I was wrong. Apparently they can only let a few people into the building at a time (where you immediately go through security). These people may be going to various offices within the building, but we all have to wait in one big line outside. Be prepared when you finally make it to security (take off your coat and shoes, take everything out of your pockets, etc.) — this will help the line move a lot faster.
I spent about 40 minutes in line to get inside. Security took another 5 – 10 minutes, and then I was on my way to the SSA office. You check in at an electronic kiosk, which will give you a ticket number based upon your case type (i.e. changing name, lost SS card, etc.). You are called up by case type, so depending on how many people are there to do the same thing as you, you could either wait for a while or get called rather quickly. I waited about 10 – 15 minutes before I was called up to the ticket window.
If you are changing your name, all you need is the completed SS form (print and fill this out before you go!), your driver’s license, and your ORIGINAL marriage certificate/​license. The entire process at the help window took about 3 minutes and I was on my way.
TIP: Be prepared to wait in line to get in the building, but with some luck things will move quickly once you are actually inside the SSA office. Print and fill out all forms before you go. Like the DMV, when in doubt, bring multiple forms of ID/​support so that you do not have to come back in case you forgot something.

After reading the reviews here, I decided to get here early on a Tuesday. Totally smooth experience! In and out the door in just over 30 minutes. I was there to change my name after getting married.
Here are some tips based on my experience and the mistakes I saw others make:
1. Take MARTA if you can to avoid parking hassles.
2. Arrive early — slightly prior to the 9am opening should be fine. Security line was super short for me when I checked in at 9am.
3. Once there, check in with precisely what you’re there for to make sure you get to the right person. The numbers are NOT called in order, but rather based on what you’re there for and who can help you with that issue.
4. Once you have your number, LISTEN for it to be called. It could be called quicker than you think, see point #3! The security guards kept telling everyone to be quiet and listen for their numbers, and still about 3 – 4 people missed their numbers in the short ~10−15 minutes I waited because they were too busy chatting. And then they got mad when they were skipped after their number was called multiple times. Don’t be that person!
5. Be prepared! I had all my papers and my form ready to go for my name change, so the very helpful lady who helped me out simply had to plug everything in and give me a receipt. Obviously if you’re there for something more complex it won’t be so quick, but make sure you have any/​all documentation you need with you and ready to pass over.

I read the reviews prior to going so I knew what I was in for. I arrived at 10:40am on a Thursday. Parking lot was convenient but I didn’t know how long it would take. I ended up paying for 3+ hours to be safe.
The line to go inside was about 20 feet from the door. It took 40 minutes to get through the line and through security. Once in the Ss office it took another 35 minutes before my number wa called.

I came here to change my name after getting married. If you’re doing this, you’ll need an photo ID (passport or drivers license), completed social security application (it’s on their website, or they have them there), and money for parking.
There’s a parking lot adjacent to the building which was $ 4 for 1 hour, $ 6 for 2 hours. There’s plenty of paid lots around there, so if it’s full, it’s no worries. I would suggest going ahead and paying for the 2 hour parking if you see a line forming in front of the building. If there’s no visible line, you can probably get in an out in an hour.
The majority of the wait is for security. It took about 30 minutes just to get into the building and through the security line. The majority of the reason for this is they only allow a certain number of people in the building, so everyone else waits outside. When you get into the security area, it’s probably one of the most disorganized and inefficient processes ever. They wait until you get up to the scanners to tell you to remove belts, shoes, etc. Depending on where you’re going, they may require an escort to take you up there, so that causes a huge delay. All of this is a little surprising considering they had about 5 people working there, and all seemed to be standing around.
Once you pass security, congrats! You’re basically done haha. You’ll go up to the appropriate office, and it’s basically like the DMV. You take a number. Everyone is assigned numbers based on why they are there (i.e. name change, SS benefits, etc) so it’s called in a random order. The waiting process inside the office was about 30 minutes, and the actual name change took about 5 minutes.
Overall, my best advice is to come prepared and plan to wait. I went on a Monday around 11 am.

I really didn’t want to admit to myself that I lost my Social Security Card a few months ago — I kept telling myself it would turn up, and obviously it never did. I procrastinated and procrastinated the trip because I was certain the process was going to be an all day consuming nightmare, and it did start off a bit rough.
I arrived at the Summit Federal Building around 11:30 AM — I was thankful that the paid parking lot was just directly across the street. I paid $ 7 for parking — which covers three hours — I really had no idea how long the process was going to take, thus better safe than sorry. There were a few building security guards outside and they were very adamant about paying for parking immediately (there were a few people who parked first but needed change to pay, and all the security guards insisted that they move the car from the lot before it got booted).
As soon as I made it into the lobby, a security guard told me to start forming a line outside as the lobby/​security check-​in was becoming too crowded. Oy. I knew I should’ve worn a coat; the nightmare was coming true I thought, but a few minutes later the security guard came out and escorted all of us to a secondary security check-​in on the backside of the building. A little shady intitially, but I was thankful for the speed and efficiency.
Once I got the 28^th floor (where the SS Administration office is) things moved more smoothly than I ever could have conceived. I checked in on their computer system, just entering my SS # and birth date, it gave me a call number. I quickly filled out a short form and about 10 — maybe 15 minutes later, I was called to the window, asked to verify all of my information, then I was printed out a receipt. and informed that my new card will be mailed with an expected delivery date of 10 business days from today.
This SSI location and the Dekalb Co. Tax Office are beginning to give me hope for gov’t run bureaucracy!

DO NOT SPEND MONEY ONLINE FOR A REPLACEMENT CARD! There is no cost for a replacement card. The websites some of you are going to are not government websites, it is essentially a scam. The only site you should use is a .GOV site for any government business. As a former employee, I saw daily people wasting their money on
and the like. They state at the bottom of the web page that they are a filing service and not affiliated with the gov. Also, you typically do not need a birth certificate, but the name on your id has to match the name on record. Have a good attitude when you go, and it will make a difference. Some people are miserable and you can’t change that, but you get way more with honey then you do with vinegar.

This place is terrible! They practically strip search you in security when you enter the building. And don’t ask anyone for help because you won’t be getting accurate information. I was sent to the 4^th floor instead of the 28^th and by the time I found my way to the correct location for the Social Security Office, they had closed their doors at 3pm sharp. I was there at exactly 3pm too! I’ll be back tomorrow but this place still sucks a big, fat $&#@!!!

Soooo, guess who put her Social Security card in a «smart» place… that she now can’t remember? Moi.
After checking their website, I discovered that yes, you can easily order a replacement card online — it is a little quicker to receive than going to the SSA office — however it is $ 38.95 + $ 7 «shipping» (huh? It is really that much??), while it is free to go down to W. Peachtree to get one in person. Whether it was the principal of the matter (c’mon, $ 45.95??) or better budgeting in the New Year, I decided to go to the SSA office.
This is actually one of the more positive interactions with a gov’t agency that you will encounter. The hours are a little odd, as someone else noted, as they are M, T, Th, Fri 9 – 3 and Wed 9 – 12. All said, I was there about 30 minutes (you do have to wait outside for entering, as they only let 3 – 5 people in at a time so as not to get a bottleneck at security) and note– make absolutely sure you have proper identification (ie driver’s license and ORIGINAL birth certificate),.as they will not assist you without proper documentation. You get a number, complete a short basic form with your info, and wait with an eye on the computer board for your turn. Pretty easy peasy.
You get a receipt and then it’s just 7 – 10 days before your new card arrives. Oh yeah, and it’s free (well, if you count parking cost) — for a must do thing at times, it ain’t so bad!

Never been to an IRS office before & it was like being in the darn DMV!
I’m telling you all I need are answers to why the IRS has not updated their system on where my refund is. Cant reach them by phone, email and NO luck here and was told I’ll have to wait till they contact me. Urghhh!!!
Lord knows if I owed them… they’d be stalking, harassing letters and garnishing to get there &. Government… I tell you they shoal know how to play with OUR $$$$ when they owe us!

If you’re changing your name due to marriage, start here.
It’s important that you change your name here first because a bunch of other places (DDS, employer, etc.) will need your new Social Security card. The office hours are funky, so check them before you go. They’re only open from 9am-​3pm on most weekdays.
Bring cash for parking, your passport, original marriage certificate (they won’t keep it), and a completed SSA application form. Your SSN won’t change; just your name will change. It took me less than hour to get in and out on a Friday, and I received my new card in the mail a week later.

I went in today to change my name (marriage) and get a new social security card. Surprisingly, the whole process only took 30 minutes — wait and everything!
This office is located within the Peachtree Summit Federal building. There’s a public parking lot across the street on Ralph McGill. You pre-​pay $ 7 to the person on watch, for an hour. If you’re there less than an hour, make sure to show the person your ticket, and you’ll get reimbursed a few bucks. I ended up paying $ 3.
Upon entering the building, you’ll be greeted by officers that will ask you about the nature of your visit, and have you sign in. You’ll be informed that Social Security is up on the 28^th floor, and reminded that when you’re done the ground floor is the 2^nd floor.
Once you get your bags/​belongings (if any) x-ray’d and pass through a metal detector, you’re good to go.
There’s plenty of signage to help you find your way. When you walk in, there’ll be another set of officers that will direct you to a touch screen computer, by the tellers, that prints out your ticket depending on the reason you’re there for.
I arrived a little after 2PM on a Friday, and there were about 15 people seated. There is no ticket-​countdown-​thing, so you can’t gauge how long you’ll be there. I seriously thought I was going to be there for at *least* an hour…
Nope! Not the case at all! Two numbers were called, then I was up! I had every form of identification I could get my hands on + marriage license + pre-​filled SS-​5 form (you can get forms on SSA website), and was assisted by Nigel who was very professional and helpful. Process took maybe 5 minutes, and I’ll be getting my new card in 2 weeks. YAY!
Hoping my experience goes as well at DDS, but doubt it: P